Library Talk – August 9, 2018

Most of the boxes of new books I receive are mixed, composed of fiction, non-fiction, adult, young adult or juvenile—I pre-order months in advance, so the boxes are a blend of those orders. Last week, a box came in with a ‘heavy’ percentage of adult non-fiction, so I’ll mention a few of the titles….

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, so goes King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age’s Greatest Imposter by Paul Willetts. Edgar LaPLante was a small time grifter, until in 1917 he remade himself to be Chief White Elk, and toured the USA and Europe making a pitch for helping the native Americans and raising money for Liberty bonds. Edgar was not raising funds for worthy groups, rather for himself, staying just one foot ahead of his conned enemies, who wanted their money and their faith back. Captive: A Mother’s Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult by Catherine Oxenberg is pretty self-explanatory, but it is amazing how bright, young people can be so completely drawn in by charismatic cult leaders, and the distance a loving mother will go to get her out. Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America by journalist Beth Macy covers the beginning of OxyCotin and the road to heroin addiction in Virginia. Death of a Nation: Plantation Politics and the Making of the Democratic Party by Dinesh D’Souza takes a stab at Democrats by going back in time to see how the party, especially in the south created themselves, and Fly Girls: how Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O’Brien covers the high-flying 1920s-1930s women who set records and names for themselves in a new and male dominated field. These women included a high school dropout, a mother, and a socialite. Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb takes a look on the history and the reasons to support the comeback of beavers throughout the world—their impact on the ecosystem can be very positive. Interesting reading.

A reminder, that Tuesday, August 21st at 6:30 p.m. in the annex will be our next free music jam—Josh Strange will be the featured musician at the beginning of the performance, and then we will return to the traditional jam with the musicians that show up to play. The jams are ‘open’, and if you want to bring your instrument and strum along, we welcome you to join in. It is always fun, entertaining, and a reminder that we have amazing talent close to home.